LISTINGSPORTOpen the app

Kelly Peterson Sailboats

Explore Kelly Peterson sailboats and the details behind each model. If you are shopping for a Kelly Peterson sailboat, we keep an eye out for Used Kelly Peterson Sailboats.

Model ↕Listings ↓Year Built ↕LOA (ft) ↕Beam (ft) ↕Draft (ft) ↕Disp. (lbs) ↕Hull ↕Designer ↕Rig ↕Keel ↕
Kelly Peterson 463 for sale198046.25 ft13.33 ft6.67 ft33,300 lbsMonohullDoug PetersonCutterFin

Kelly Peterson sailboats: a broker, a designer, and a Taiwan shipyard

"Kelly Peterson" was never a shipyard's name — it names a partnership. Jack Kelly, a yacht broker, commissioned the boats; Doug Peterson designed them; and a Taiwan shipyard, Queen Long Marine, built them. That three-way split is the whole story of the brand.

Origins and ownership

Jack Kelly, after retiring from the military, worked as a West Coast yacht broker before turning his attention to building boats. Through Jack Kelly Yachts, he commissioned Doug Peterson to design the Peterson 44 performance cruiser in 1976, a boat that debuted that year as a pioneer of performance cruising yacht design. The Kelly Peterson 46 that followed was built in Taiwan by the Queen Long Marine Co. shipyard under Kelly's close supervision. SAILING Magazine dates the 46's production run from 1980 to 1990, during which only 30 boats were built; Queen Long Marine's own company timeline, by contrast, dates the Peterson 46's construction to 1982, the year after the yard built the Stevens 47. The two records disagree on a start year, but both describe a small, short-lived production run.

Construction through the eras

The boats reflect Queen Long's build practices of the period: hand-laminated, reinforced fiberglass hull and deck, structural members bonded with fiberglass, and a lead keel ballast bonded internally into place. Belowdecks, the yard leaned heavily on teak, finishing the interior in teak veneer plywood and solid teak. Queen Long founded the Hylas Yachts brand in 1985, and the same yard also built Hylas yachts — the shipwright that shaped a Kelly Peterson 46's cabinetry is the same one behind a well-known bluewater name.

Lines and generations

The Kelly Peterson design outgrew its own builder. The Formosa 46 is an enlarged copy of the Kelly Peterson 44, for which Doug Peterson received no design copyright — the yachting community nicknamed it "cheaterson" as a result, without any documented finding of fraud or wrongdoing beyond that absent copyright. The Liberty 458 and the Delta 46 were also based on the Kelly Peterson design. None of the three came out of Queen Long, which means a "46" turning up in a listing is not automatically the boat this page covers.

Who Kelly Peterson is for

A Kelly Peterson 46 suits a buyer drawn to a teak-heavy, solidly constructed cruiser built in small numbers, and willing to confirm a given hull actually traces back to Queen Long rather than one of the design's several imitators.

Frequently asked questions

01Who built the Kelly Peterson 46?+
It was built in Taiwan by the Queen Long Marine Co. shipyard, under the close supervision of Jack Kelly, the yacht broker who commissioned it.
02Who designed the Kelly Peterson?+
Doug Peterson designed it. He drew the Peterson 44 performance cruiser for Jack Kelly Yachts in 1976, a boat that debuted that year as a pioneer of performance cruising yacht design.
03How many Kelly Peterson 46s were built?+
Only about 30, over a run that SAILING Magazine dates from 1980 to 1990. Queen Long Marine's own company timeline dates the Peterson 46's construction to 1982, so the two records don't agree on a single start year, but both point to a short run.
04Is any boat marketed as a '46' from this design actually a Kelly Peterson?+
Not necessarily. The Formosa 46, an enlarged copy of the Kelly Peterson 44 for which Doug Peterson received no design copyright, is nicknamed "cheaterson" by the yachting community. The Liberty 458 and the Delta 46 were also based on the Kelly Peterson design. None of the three is a Queen Long-built Kelly Peterson.
05Is Kelly Peterson connected to Hylas Yachts?+
Yes. Queen Long Marine, the shipyard that built the Kelly Peterson 46, founded the Hylas Yachts brand in 1985, and the same yard also built Hylas yachts.